Alessandro's scream fills the warehouse.
The severed finger drops to the concrete floor with a small splash of blood. Alessandro stares at the stump in shock, his face white as paper.
"That was for hiring Torretti," I say calmly, wiping blood from the cutters. "The next one is for every second she stays in his custody."
"Jesus Christ!" Alessandro gasps, cradling his mutilated hand. "You're fucking insane!"
"I'm motivated. And you're going to call Torretti and convince him to return her." I position the cutters around his ring finger. "How you do that is up to you. But you'd better be very persuasive."
"He won't just hand her back! His client is already en route to the delivery point!"
"Then give him a reason to cancel." I apply slight pressure to the cutters. "Think, Alessandro. What would make a professional broker walk away from a very lucrative deal?"
"Nothing! His reputation depends on completing contracts!"
I squeeze harder. The blades begin to bite.
"Wait! Wait!" Blood streams down his arm as he frantically searches for an answer. "The merchandise! What if the merchandise is damaged?"
I pause. "Explain."
"His client paid premium prices for specific qualities. Virginity was part of the package—that's why the price was so high." Alessandro looks at me with something between fear and calculation. "What if I tell him her father told me you raped her. When she called him. He was furious—said you'd defiled his daughter, taken her virginity."
“Keep talking.”
"If the product is compromised, if she's no longer what was promised... Torretti can't deliver damaged goods without risking his client's wrath. His client expects an untouched virgin. That's what they paid for. If you've... if she's been compromised, Torretti has a problem. He can't deliver defective merchandise without his client blaming him for the fraud."
Understanding settles into place. "He'll have to cancel to protect his reputation."
"Exactly! And there's more pressure we can add." Alessandro's words tumble out desperately. "Camilla's father—he's been making noise about involving authorities. If Torretti thinks there's legal exposure on top of delivering compromised merchandise, if the deal is falling apart from multiple angles..."
"He'll cut his losses."
"Yes! He can walk away claiming fraud, that you misrepresented the merchandise. It saves face with his client and gets him out before legal complications arise."
I release the bolt cutters and step back, considering. It's actually solid logic.
"You're going to make that call. You're going to convince Torretti that the merchandise has been compromised and that Camilla's father is threatening to involve the authorities." I pull out my phone. "And you're going to make it believable, or I'll take more than fingers."
"What do I say exactly?"
"What you just told me. That she's no longer the untouched virgin his client expects. That her father is preparing to file formal complaints with the Carabinieri about the entire operation." I dial Torretti's number. "You make him understand that delivering damaged merchandise to a dangerous client is worse than walking away."
"And if he doesn't believe me?"
"Then I'll take another finger and you'll try again." I put the call on speaker. "But you'd better pray he believes you the first time."
The phone rings three times before Torretti answers.
"Alessandro? This is unexpected."
"Franco, we have a serious problem."
A pause. "What kind of problem? I'm hours from delivery."
"The merchandise has been compromised. Significantly."
"Compromised how?" Torretti's voice sharpens with suspicion.
